Fully Automated LC-MS Designed for Clinical Labs

As the world’s first integrated, fully-automated clinical laboratory analyzer, the new Thermo Scientific™ Cascadion™ SM Clinical Analyzer* is designed to break the barriers to adoption between liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and the clinical laboratory. Bringing together the ease of use of conventional clinical analyzers with the selectivity and sensitivity of LC-MS/MS, this innovative system has the potential to streamline small molecule testing, offering unmatched benefits to laboratories, clinicians and patients.

Reliable and easy to use

Clinical laboratory experts have long expressed their need for a system that would enable them to use powerful LC-MS/MS technology to facilitate direct, accurate, precise and specific detection of small molecules. The Cascadion analyzer addresses this need by incorporating all necessary components, including complete assay kits, for rapid implementation of clinical LC-MS/MS. Developed to maximize uptime and reduce time and funds spent on unplanned maintenance, the system offers a reliable solution to meet the continuous workflow demands of clinical laboratories.

Designed as a fully-automated system, the Cascadion analyzer eliminates complex, repetitive and error-prone manual processes, commonly associated with traditional LC-MS/MS technology. Instead, the system offers the convenience of simple, walk-away operation, reduces training needs and frees experienced staff to undertake other critical activities. “An easy-to-use, fully-automated LC-MS/MS system that removes the need for manual tasks would facilitate wider adoption of this highly accurate technology without laboratories needing to create a new team of highly skilled staff,” explains Professor Victoria Zhang, Founding Chair, AACC Mass Spectrometry and Separation Sciences Division and Vice Chair for Clinical Enterprise Strategy, University of Rochester Medical Center, USA.

Featuring a scalable menu, the analyzer enables multiple tests to be performed on a single instrument for optimal efficiency and productivity, while reducing the need for laboratory-developed assays. “It’s absolutely vital to have a broad and expandable testing menu for our type of lab, say Gareth Jones and Paul Bramhall, Senior Biomedical Scientists, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, UK. “We need an open system we can add to, so we can increase the number of tests we run, as well as manage the testing already being done to ensure we get the most reliable results possible.”

Rapid, standardized and traceable results

For clinicians, providing patients with rapid diagnosis and treatment is a daily challenge. “A quick response within just a couple of hours can make a real difference to people suffering from severe conditions or when urgent surgery is needed,” explains Professor Olof Beck, Director of the Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory, Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. “Sometimes, even the slightest delay could cost a patient their life.”

The Cascadion analyzer uses random access to enable uninterrupted operation and prioritization of urgent samples for rapid turnaround of results. Additionally, the system is being developed to offer standardized and harmonized assays for consistency and comparability of results over time and across laboratories – facilitating effective treatment, regardless of where testing takes place.

Assays are also designed to correlate with a higher order reference standard, while barcode scanners and fully traceable reagents and parts are also incorporated within the system. As such, clinicians and their patients can benefit from the generation of dependable results with a complete audit trail, that can inform treatment decisions.

A vision for the future

With the development of the Cascadion analyzer, Thermo Fisher Scientific aims to address the needs of clinical laboratories with an analyzer designed to enable them to fully leverage the power of LC-MS/MS technology. Inspired by customers who explained the challenges they have been facing, this dedicated system has the potential to transform the current clinical testing landscape.